Artéfakt Goes The 'Distance'
If it comes as a shock to anyone that we have been living under months of legislated isolation due to a global pandemic, then it is pretty clear that you didn’t get out of the house much to begin with. But, for those who have been starving for the arts, this time of absence from the general public has actually been a boon, to some degree. Studios, festivals and their artists have found many ways to shine a light on the looming shadow of disease and loneliness. Festival Émergence, a Quebec-based film festival geared towards promoting the filmmakers of tomorrow created what they called “l’édition en confinement” (the Quarantine edition, essentially).
Within the confines of respecting social distancing, in only a month’s time and with bare-bones resources, participating filmmakers were to create a film…and that was pretty much the entire outline for the project, which leaves things rather open-ended for the would-be filmmakers.
Enter Magalie R Bazinet with her small band of artists to create what became the festival’s most romantic piece, ‘Distance’. With the help of fellow actor, David Bernier, as well as some close family and friends, we are pulled into a world of love and loss…which, typed up in this way does seem rather typical in terms of love stories. And I suppose it is…but that is what draws us in as an audience and that is what makes it relatable to all.
In this film we meet Rosalie and Hugo who have clearly had a deep affection for each other for years. But, as always, there is a thorn in this otherwise beautiful rose and it keeps pricking this budding love; keeping it from full bloom. What is that thorn? Well, those pesky relationships with others keep getting in the way and it doesn’t help that Rosalie spends her time between Vancouver and Toronto while Hugo is left to pine from Quebec. Some wine, shared feelings, prospects of travelling abroad to Europe, more wine, sex and a brief chat about long-distance relationships later and we come to the end of what I think is ultimately too short a film.
Of course, we don’t too want much of a good thing and with only a month to turn the project over, it’s not like they could go feature-length with the piece. There are just some aspects of the film that I feel I must break down, even if just a little. I can’t just look at this film through rose-tinted glasses the whole time. All things considered, I’ve not much to critique and some of what I will critique would ultimately have resulted in a different movie if taken to heart, but here we go…
A simple thing to start: I happen to know Magalie, having met her in Toronto when I was reviewing another project of hers while I was writing for a different publication some years ago. She is so wonderfully French in a way that, in spite of my last name, I will never be. Given that fact, her English is quite good but I would suggest that, in the use of English in this script, it lands a little too close to the “by-rote” category of dialogue as opposed to a lived-in style of communication. The prime example of this being the line “my ride-share just dropped me off, yes”. By comparison to the wonderfully quick, witty and sometimes (purposefully) awkward French dialogue, this stands out in an unwittingly stilted way. I’m not the editor of the script and it’s not my story so my opinion counts for very little in this but as an audience member, I was put off by this moment in the opening dialogue and then surprisingly captured by the ensuing conversation between Hugo and Rosalie moments later. Even with my limited understanding of French, my reading of the French subtitles during the English sections gave me a full sense of the quality of dialogue but for this one glaring moment.
While I must commend Director of Photography, Raphael Nadeau, for some rather interesting and enjoyable shots, there is just one thing that I think could have really lifted this film up to another level and that is the stability of the camera.At first, I thought that this was shot on phone cameras or at the most some form of DSLR. This accompanying photo confirms a DSLR in hand. and given that…there really is no excuse. standard tripods are affordable, easy to borrow or rent if budget is a concern and, again, make a world of difference, especially when coming to a static shot such as the credit sequence with the phone left vibrating on the bedside table. This is an effective shot for the ending of the film with the beautiful music of…someone I don’t know because the musician was left uncredited…but the shot is shaky for the duration of the credits due to it being held free-hand. Perhaps a trivial thing to those who just want to sit back and enjoy a story but…I’m here to review the film.
The only other aspect of this film that I would go on about in any critical way is the fact that,
*SPOILER ALERT*
Hugo pretty much decides there is no way they can make things work if he’s to travel abroad and Rosalie, for whatever reason, seems to flip flop with the idea of a long-distance relationship. While I must admit that this is a compelling ending for the piece, I can’t help but think there is some lacking information about Rosalie for an audience to understand why she’s not willing to investigate work in Europe, if she really does want to be with Hugo. She’s already been involved with a Euro film as part of her work in Toronto, which opens the door for an adventure that her character seems entirely ready for at any moment. This could all be because I just wanted to see more of these two characters; their banter, their feelings and their love.
Overall, however, I can understand how this could easily be the most romantic and could “reçu le prix du film le plus à l’eau de rose.” (according to Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, actor and member of the festival) Now, this is a bit that doesn’t quite translate well into English, I must admit but essentially, the film received the prize for the most rose-watering film…long story short…it’s romantic…as I said. This is a touching film that I quite enjoyed and while I wished there was more of it to enjoy, I know the work that goes into writing, producing, directing, acting in and editing a film while coordinating a very small crew to create some small piece of art for all those in quarantine to enjoy.
Many thanks to Magalie and her crew through her Vancouver-based company, Artéfakt. I have the faintest of feelings that a good chunk of this film is somewhat autobiographical and I think that plays right into one of the first rules of writing. Write what you know. Bravo to Magalie and her company and hopefully the film will be readily available for audiences to enjoy on a grand scale in the near future as she prepares the film for another round of film festivals, having just been accepted to the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions with Pinewood Studios! When we know the next screening, we will make sure to push it out there for your enjoyment.
